


I'm Not Alone

by LilRexsoka



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:08:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23432176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilRexsoka/pseuds/LilRexsoka
Summary: Order 66 has shocked everyone. Captain Rex escapes with Ahsoka Tano, but the betrayal has left scars on the Captain and the Togruta he has saved.
Relationships: Captain Rex and Ahsoka Tano, Rex and Ahsoka - Relationship, Rexsoka - Relationship
Comments: 6
Kudos: 76





	I'm Not Alone

**Author's Note:**

> I am finally back into writing business! Here is the One-Shot I had promised one of my friends forever. It is finally here; a One-Shot on Rex's guilt after Order 66 where Ahsoka is the only one there to comfort him.

Captain Rex had regrets, as most of his brothers did. To him, they plagued his conscience and pulled him down in guilt at night. He had lost so many of his men, most of them from completely unavoidable situations. Then there were the brothers who he had lost who had been the closest to him; Heavy on Rishi Moon, Echo’s capture at the Citadel, Five’s long fall into insanity that led to his death, and Tup’s malfunction. 

He had hated the report the Kaminoans had sent back to General Skywalker, using the word like Tup was just a piece of machinery that had broken down. Despite their assurances of complete control of the situation, Rex doubted that the long-necks were going to do anything about the apparently flawed chips inside the clones. His theory had only been proved by Fives’ outburst about the chips that had been abruptly ended. 

Removing the chip had been a relief, though his next regret was that he had not been able to convince all of the leaders to follow his example. Cody had just laughed. Wolffe had agreed but had wanted to wait before he convinced his entire battalion to do the same. Rex had gotten Kix to do the same as the medic conducted some sort of investigation of what Fives had been attempting to piece together. 

None of the Jedi had listened. No Jedi but one. General Skywalker had brushed it aside, General Kenobi had asked the Captain if he had been feeling well, but Commander Tano had been ready to listen. Though her expression betrayed her skepticism, a weight was lifted off his chest as she tried to believe. Even though she was no longer in the Order, she still felt a string of loyalty for the Republic she had worked for. 

Now, it was too late. Kix had commed Rex, speaking incoherently about some secret plan with the higher-ups and the Jedi, but his comm had been cut. That had been hours before, as they began the descent to Mandalore on their newest mission to defeat Maul and his followers. Next they knew, men were dying left and right, Ahsoka was fighting Maul, they had him trapped, her lightsabers poised to end it all… 

Rex’s comm had binged, a hooded figure had whispered to him in a voice so unlike the Chancellor he knew, and he was given the orders. The order to kill Commander Tano. His troop’s guns had raised, their fingers poised, unhearing to their Captain’s words as he screamed at them to stand down. They whispered the same words that Tup had been repeating over and over before he had been shipped off with apparent insanity; _Good soldiers follow orders._

The Captain had barely known what he was doing; his own gun was firing into his brothers, the orange and blue painted troopers falling heavily to the ground as he dragged the Commander away. Her confusion had been left unanswered as Maul slipped away and they became traitors. Rex knew that Ahsoka did not deserve death; she was no longer Jedi, but his men were not themselves. It took only moments to realize the truth that both Fives and Kix had worked hard to reveal, only to fail; those chips were responsible for forcing the men to follow orders, no matter how horrible. 

The Captain and his Commander had managed to escape, their lives broken and their futures unknown. Faking their deaths had been easy to accomplish, but difficult to go through with. Ahsoka had left her lightsabers on a fake grave, their lives left behind on the broken planet of Mandalore. With great debate, Ahsoka had convinced him to leave with her; her argument remained, “You will try to save your brothers. You can’t save them, Rex, just as I could not.” 

Her words did not soothe his aching guilt. He felt helpless and weak. He had wanted to make a difference; now he had nothing but the Togruta Jedi that had saved his life. Even when they had left Mandalore behind, entering Hyperspace, not to find another planet, but just to get away from the Republic. Though he tried to remain composed, he couldn’t stop the chest-suffocating pain of failure. 

Ahsoka found the Captain in the sleeping quarters, kneeling on the floor in front of the far bunk, head bowed, entire body shaking with ragged sobs. Her light footsteps were not enough to alert him to her presence as she sunk to his side and pulled his heavy body to her chest, allowing him to muffle his gasps in her shoulder. He should have composed himself in front of his Commander, or at least objected to her physical offer of comfort, but all rational thinking melted away as he cried into her soft-smelling tunic. 

“What’s on your mind, Rex?” Her voice was light, gentle as she spoke his name, ignoring all forms of proper rank. Her slender hand came up to brush over the fuzz on his skull, her fingertips tracing the shaved portion that bordered his chip scar. She had waited until his sobbing had quieted and the Captain withdrew his head, sheepishly noticing the damp patch on her shoulder from his tears. 

“Sorry about that, Commander. The past few months have been difficult. I apologize for any difficulties I have created for you-” He cut off as the Togruta narrowed her eyes, her hands falling back to her hips. 

“Stop calling me that here,” Ahsoka snapped, hurt flashing across her face. “There should be no formalities. We are not soldiers here; we should be friends, able to comfort each other without sorry or awkwardness.” 

Rex inhaled shakily, darting his gaze away from her intense stare. “Yes, s- Ahsoka. Alright. I think I can manage that.” He forced himself to turn back to her expecting leer. “I’m feeling incredibly guilty.” 

Ahsoka’s eyes softened, her grasp at her hips sinking into her lap. “You can’t be guilty. You did all you could, Rex. No one could have stopped this.” 

The clone dipped his head toward the durasteel floor of their stolen ship. “I should have tried harder. I had no idea how dangerous these chips were, but I should have been more persistent. I could have gotten my men to remove their chips; then we could be attacking Chancellor Palpatine and saving the younglings at the temple, not running away like cowards!” 

The Togruta Jedi was glaring at him frustratedly. “Rex, stop it! There is nothing we could have done!” Her voice was rising in despair. “There would have been no-one to help us!” Her body began to fold on itself and she tucked her knees close to her chest, chin resting between her kneecaps. Her voice was low and quivering as she whispered, “They’re all gone, Rex. Master Kenobi… Master Plo… Master Skywalker… I can’t feel them through the Force.” 

Now it was Rex’s turn to sympathize. He realized how incredibly selfish he had been. It had not been only him to have suffered from the terrible order. He may have lost his brothers, but she had lost her entire life. _That is not entirely true. I am still here…_

“Hey, Ahsoka.” Rex inched over to crouch beside her, wrapping an arm over her shoulders and bringing her to his side. The Togruta willingly leaned into him, tucking her head onto his lap. With her permission of a gentle purr, Rex slowly ran one of his gloved hands down her right lekku, the skin soft and supple under his touch. “I’m sorry. But remember, I will be here with you. Always.” 

“Thanks, Rex,” she murmured sleepily, her eyes flickering shut. As the sienna-skinned girl dozed on the hard plastoid of his armour plates, the clone Captain felt his heart swell and piece back together. _I’m not alone. I have her._


End file.
